i can't believe i haven't posted anything for two months. what can i say? after months of desperate searching aaron finally found my digital camera under the bed, behind all the shit the cats have dragged in under there. so. the recipe. it sort of came from vegan planet. sort of in the sense that i didn't have half the ingredients for the fillings they suggested and not everything for the peanutbutter sauce, but i winged it best i could and it turned out fucking amazing. i substituted the chili paste for regular chili powder, and didn't have any cilantro at at all. it may sound weird that the filling has no seasoning whatsoever, but believe me, the sauce makes up for it. and oh! you find the springroll wrappers in any asian grocery store. they're white and  brittle and look nothing like eggroll wrappers. don't mix them up. eggroll wrappers are obviously not vegan.

ingredients springrolls:
8 or so springroll wrappers
1/2 block extra firm tofu, in tiny cubes
1-2 shredded carrots
1 cup corn
1-2 yellow squashes

ingredients sauce:
i don't remember off the top of my head. i'll be back with the correct measurements. my guess is:

1/2 cup natural peanutbutter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon (or more to taste) asian chili paste
1 teaspoon sugar
some unknown measurement cilantro

directions:
cut the tofu in small cubes and saute in some olive oil. when it's starting to brown, throw in the rest of the vegetables. mix well and make sure everything is well heated.

put the springroll wrappers in a bowl of cold water. that is, the ones you expect to use. they will become soft and slimy and easier to work with.

put one wrapper on top of a piece of plastic wrap. put a little bit of filling on the lower one third of the wrapper. fold in the sides and roll it up, using the plastic wrap. it will be slippery as hell if you omit the plastic wrap. i learned that the hard way.

when you're done with the springrolls, put all the ingredients for the sauce except the cilantro in a mixer. process until smooth. add the cilantro leaves right before serving.

i found this recipe somewhere at livejournal. i'm sad to say that i don't remember where, so i have noone to credit. either way, this is awesome. perfect for chocolate cravings. (i don't have those alot, but when i do... oh man.) and by the way, most semi-sweet dark chocolate chips seem to be vegan, but check the ingredients before you buy. i've been told that tropical source makes the best vegan ones, they're supposedly fair trade and all that good stuff, but i'm poor, so i'm not that picky.

ingredients:

i love chili. it's one of my favorite foods, probably because, you know, if you make a batch you have food for a week. this particular chili comes from vegan planet, where it's refered to as "eastcoast chili". it's slightly adapted like everything i cook is. i found the recipe for the cornbread here.

ingredients chili:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 big can crushed tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste (if you have it, i usually skip it)
chili sauce to taste
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
2 cups vegetarian burger crumbles or hydrated TVP
3 cups cooked or 2 cans black beans
salt and pepper

ingredients cornbread:
1 1/4 cups of unbleached flour
3/4 cups of yellow corn meal
1/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt 
1 cup plain soymilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 cup corn, thawed

directions:
heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. add the chopped onion and cook until softened. stir in tomatoes, water, tomato paste, chili powder and cayenne. bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

stir in burger crumbles or TVP, beans and salt and pepper to taste. this is also where it's a good idea to add garlic and chili sauce. simmer for about 30-40 minutes on low heat to blend flavors.

now you can start the corn bread to have it all done at the same time. start with heating the oven to 400 degrees and grease a muffin pan.

combine all the dry ingredients (except for the cornstarch, which isn't dry since you have to mix it with water before throwing it in). when they're well mixed stir in soy milk, oil and the cornstarch mix.

thaw the corn and stir them in. pour the mix into the prepared pan. bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

serve!

this comes from the vegetarian family cookbook by nava atlas. the potatoes are a simple creation. microwave a couple of potatoes until soft by firm. cut up in wedges and saute in a single layer in olive oil. add garlic, cajun seasoning or whatever you feel like.

ingredients:
16 oz extra firm tofu
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsps corn meal
2 tbsps whole wheat flour
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp seasoned salt

directions:
to make the tofu firm and yummy follow these directions. when you've done all this, cut each slice into four pieces. toss them with the olive oil until evenly coated. put the rest of the ingredients in a big zip lock bag (or two smaller). shake until they are well mixed. add the tofu and shake until all sides are evenly coated.

put the pieces in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. turn all the nuggets over and bake for an additonal 10 minutes. serve immediately.

this recipe comes from vegan planet by robin robertson, but is so modified and simplified that i doubt you'd recognize it. the original recipe called for cashews, not peanuts, and real chiles, not chili powder. i threw this together real quick and it was still really good.

ingredients:
olive oil

when you buy tofu or at least a couple of days before using it, open the tub and slice the block of tofu in 1/2 inch thick slices. try to squeeze as much water out as possible.

place it in single layers in ziplock bags or containers and put in the fridge. if you want to you can place them on top of each other or however you want if you freeze them individually first. this way you can pick just a couple of slices and don't have to thaw the whole thing.

when you want to use it, boil a pot of water. when it's bubbling, take it off the stove and place the frozen tofu in the water. after about 10 minutes it should be thawed.

take two pieces of paper towels and place a slice of the tofu on them. wrap them around the slice and press as much water as possible out of the tofu. repeat. you need at least two pieces of paper towels for each slice of tofu.

now your tofu should be firm and easy to use.

in the vegetarian family cookbook this dish is called "red ribbon rice", but since i switched red match stick cut bell pepper for carrots i had to change the name.

ingredients:
3/4 cup white rice
1 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1-2 tsps dried basil
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 carrots, sliced

directions:
put water, nutritional yeast, basil, raisins, salt and garlic in a pot. bring to a boil. when it's boiling add the rice. lower heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

slice the carrots and chop the walnuts. when the rice is cooked add these two ingredients and stir well. serve at once.

these snacks saves me during the end of my colds. you know, when you feel good enough to stop eating nothing but soup, but still have a sore throat. on the picture they're combined with a cup of chamomile tea. the carrots are easy: just peel and slice a couple of carrots (or use baby carrots, that's even better), boil them until soft and sprinkle some cinnamon and brown sugar over them. stir and taste. add more seasoning if you want. the only thing here that needs a recipe is probably the hummus. very basic.

ingredients:
2 cups garbanzo beans, canned or boiled soft
2 tbsps tahini
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsps lemon juice, preferably fresh
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 tsp coriander
1/3 tsp cumin
1/3 tsp salt
a dash cayenne pepper or chili powder
enough water to make it creamy (about 1/2 cup)

directions:
throw everything in a food processor or mixer. blend for several minutes until the mix is well blended and creamy. add a little more water if needed.
 

the brilliance about soup is that you can throw in whatever you got and it always turns out decent. i used what i had. other suggestions is squash, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms... etc, etc.

ingredients:

i can't remember where i found this, but i modified it a lot, so i guess it doesn't really matter. use whatever vegetables you have on hand. i didn't have the sesame oil, it would probably have been tons better with it.